Daily Current Affairs and GK | 31 January 2025

Topic: Space and IT

1. AI model claimed to surpass DeepSeek-V3 unveiled by Alibaba.

• On 29 January, a new version of the Qwen 2.5 AI model was released by Chinese tech firm Alibaba, with a claim that it surpassed the highly acclaimed DeepSeek-V3.
• The release of Qwen 2.5-Max on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when most Chinese people are off work, highlights the pressure created by DeepSeek's meteoric rise.
• This pressure has been felt not only by overseas rivals but also by its domestic competition.
• Alibaba's cloud unit announced on WeChat that Qwen 2.5-Max outperforms GPT-4o, DeepSeek-V3, and Llama-3.1-405B almost across the board.
• The releases of DeepSeek's AI assistant on January 10 and its R1 model on January 20 have shocked Silicon Valley.
• The Chinese startup's low cost AI model have raised investor concerns over the massive spending plans of leading U.S. AI firms.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. The government has launched the TEAM initiative with a ₹277 crore budget to onboard 5 lakh businesses onto the ONDC network.

• The Trade Enablement and Marketing (TEAM) initiative to enable small and micro enterprises to join ONDC has been announced by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) in partnership with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
• A budget of ₹277.35 crore over three years has been allocated for the initiative, which will focus on onboarding 5 lakh micro and small enterprises, with 50% of them being women-led businesses.
• The aim of the MSME TEAM Initiative is to enable MSMEs to embrace digital commerce and expand their market presence.
• The TEAM initiative aims to connect MSMEs to the ONDC network and provide access to digital storefronts, integrated payment systems, and logistics support.
• By reducing operational barriers, the initiative aims to help businesses expand their market presence and reach a wider customer base.
• Founded on 31 December 2021, the ONDC Network consists of 200+ apps, including buyer and seller apps.
• Shoppers can select from various buyer apps to purchase products, depending on the categories available on each app.
• Sellers have the option to pick from the seller apps listed on the network.

Topic: State News/ Haryana

3. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini inaugurated the International Saraswati Mahotsav.

• The International Saraswati Mahotsav has been inaugurated at Adi Badri in Yamunanagar district. The Adi Badri is the origin place of the Saraswati river.
• This Mahotsav will take place from January 29 to February 2, 2025.
• A three-day international conference on “The Sacred Saraswati River” was also held at Kurukshetra University.
• The main objective of the festival is to attract the attention of the whole world towards the great civilization of India.
• On this occasion, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 29 projects worth 54 crore 71 lakh rupees.
• The Haryana government has signed an agreement with Himachal Pradesh to ensure the perennial flow of water in the Saraswati River.

Topic: National News

4. DGFT launched an enhanced eCoO 2.0 System to simplify the certification process for exporters.

• To simplify the certification process for exporters and enhance trade efficiency, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has launched the enhanced Certificate of Origin (eCoO) 2.0 System.
• This upgraded platform offers several user-friendly features, such as multi-user access.
• It will enable exporters to authorize multiple users under a single Importer Exporter Code (IEC).
• An integrated dashboard offers exporters seamless access to eCoO services, Free Trade Agreement (FTA) information, trade events, and other resources.
• The platform also offers a Certificate of Origin option, allowing exporters to request corrections to previously issued certificates through an easy online application process.
• After 1st Jan 2025, the electronic filing of Non-Preferential Certificates of Origin has become mandatory via the eCoO 2.0 platform.